Food policy in cyberspace: A webometric analysis of national food clusters in South Korea

• Foodpolis involves Triple Helix agents.
• Webometric analyses are useful to analyze online Triple Helix structure.
• UIG interactions online were not so strong among Foodpolis constituents.
• Foodpolis failed to use online communication channels properly.
• Online interactions may predict open innovation success.

This study analyzes the Triple Helix (TH) structure of an online national food cluster. Although the university–industry–government (UIG) approach provides useful insights into innovation and its diffusion, few studies have examined how such systems are organized and operate in cyberspace. Foodpolis is an export-oriented national food cluster targeting markets in Northeast Asia, including China and Japan. Foodpolis encompasses national food industry complexes and government-led agricultural and food R&D institutes whose goal is to advance food-processing technologies. This study employs the webometric analysis method to reveal the communication pattern of interactions between participating actors. The study evaluates web mentions and hyperlink networks to investigate links to and from the website of Foodpolis (Foodpolis.kr) by using the NodeXL software package. The results for links to and from Foodpolis do not indicate sufficient interactions between UIG websites and Twitter accounts. Instead, the website and Twitter account of Foodpolis were linked to its own online café, websites of individuals, and government websites. The results suggest that UIG actors should employ online communication channels in a more proactive manner for diffusing innovative initiatives such as Foodpolis.